The mining industry has always been considered male-dominated. Over the years, efforts have been made to increase female representation in the industry.

Contributing to this effort, Newmont Goldcorp Ghana in line with its inclusion value and National Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with its development partner Junior Achievement (JA) Ghana, in 2018, to leverage programmes that promote the pursuit of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects and careers among young girls.

Newmont Goldcorp Ghana’s CSR Strategy also focuses on developing outcomes aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which seek to create decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) and forge partnerships that contribute to achieving these goals (SDG 17) in the country.

As part of the partnership, Newmont Goldcorp and JA Ghana, organised the maiden edition of the New Futures for Girls Leadership Camp, an initiative aimed at empowering young women between the ages of 15 to 25 years to broaden their future career options. The event sought to give the girls an overview of the various career opportunities available to them in mining and develop their interest in the industry.

The two-day event, held at Newmont Goldcorp’s Akyem mine about hosted 32 girls from various high schools in Ghana, including Kinbu Senior High School, Labone Secondary School and the Wesley Girls High School contestants from the recently ended National Science and Maths Quiz.

Speakers at the event included Newmont Goldcorp Africa’s Regional Vice-President for Sustainability and External Relations, Adiki O. Ayitevie, Regional Vice President for Human Resources Awo A. Quaison-Sackey, Nana Ama Agyemang Asante of Accra based Citi FM, and a representative from Women in Mining (WIM) Ghana, Nana Ohene Adu. Other Newmont Goldcorp Ghana employees in Human Resources, Operational Services, Legal and Communications also engaged the girls, sharing with them the various professional opportunities in mining. As part of the activities, the girls had a facility tour of the Akyem mine’s pit area, processing plant, reforestation project and water storage facilities to learn about the process of gold mining as well as the company’s environmental management programmes.

Speaking about the initiative, Director for Communications and External Relations, Agbeko Azumah said, “Although progress has been made, women still remain under represented in STEM disciplines; a good reason why young girls must be encouraged to pursue such professions, especially in mining.”

‘Our aim is to develop the leadership skills of these young women and prepare them for the future. For us at Newmont Goldcorp Ghana, our values of Sustainability and Inclusion enjoins us to serve as a catalyst for local economic development and ensure the creation of an inclusive environment where all people can thrive”, he added.   

Through this and other initiatives like its University Strategy, Newmont Goldcorp Ghana believes that supporting the youth and women, especially in STEM disciplines, would contribute greatly to creating an inclusive and diverse talent pipeline for the mining industry in the near future.